rob bradford

Believe it or not, you still shouldn't worry about these Red Sox

TORONTO -- Admit it, you want to panic. And nobody would blame you if you did.

This is a Red Sox team, after all, that stared .500 in the face only to spin around and awkwardly moonwalk in the opposite direction (again). Thirty-six games into the 2011 season and these Sox still haven't won as many games as they have lost.

Not since 1996 has a Red Sox team gone so deep into a season without finding .500. And now, after their 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Blue Jays Tuesday night, the Sox will have to wait until their trip to the Bronx before another opportunity to reach the Mendoza Line for mediocrity comes their way.

There are eight American League teams currently over .500, three of which come from Cleveland, Kansas City and Oakland. Those three clubs are a collection of underappreciated teams whose combined payrolls don't equal that of the Red Sox.

Predictably, there also are eight National League teams at .500 or better, a group that includes Florida, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and, put together, possess just a slightly higher dollar figure than their aforementioned American League small market trio.

Such early seaosn checkpoints will always lead to anxiety, with a 10th-inning sacrifice fly from Toronto rookie David Cooper serving as the latest dose of uneasiness for Red Sox fans.

But despite historical precedence, the reality is that it is still hard to be legitimately concerned. And the Sox' most recent loss served as a good example why panic still doesn't appear to be a legitimate option.

Start with the standings. The Red Sox find themselves 4 1/2 games in back of the first-place Yankees. One year ago, the Sox had a better record but were one game worse in the American League East standings. By the time July came around, they were one game in back of New York.

It isn't out of the question that surge could come as soon as this weekend thanks to three games with the Yanks. Throwing Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester lends itself to such optimism, no matter the opponent.

So that leads us to concerns emanating from Canada, where the Red Sox were struck with their first wave of negativity in three games. The reasons for the loss to the Blue Jays weren't difficult to decipher, but none truly offer a gateway to finding justification for deep concern.

Lester didn't pitch well

Sure, the lefty didn't do what was expected Tuesday night. He allowed five runs, walked five, gave up seven hits and only made it through 5 1/3 innings while throwing a robust 114 pitches. As Lester pointed out, the Sox needed him to go deep into this game due to a weary bullpen, and he wasn't able to.

But we're talking about a pitcher who in his previous six starts went 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA, holding opponents to a .208 batting average while striking out a major league-high 46 batters.

It's not an enormous leap of faith to believe this was the exception, not the rule. Lester has done enough, both in past and present, to buy benefit of the doubt.

Cooper's homer to leadoff the eighth inning was a big moment in the game. The Red Sox had just tied things up when they called on Bard to hold the fort, starting in the eighth.

But with the count at 3-2, the reliever and catcher Jason Varitek decided that their unfamiliarity with the rookie called for an inside fastball, figuring they would take their chances with Bard's best against anything Cooper had to offer. It was the right execution -- heading straight for Varitek's mitt -- but the wrong choice, with the offering ending up in the right-field bleachers.

Bard had few regrets, and the Red Sox had none. This was, after all, the first home run given up by the set-up man this season.

While the perception Wednesday morning might be that this isn't the Bard of a year ago, the numbers would suggest otherwise. In 18 2/3 innings he has struck out 18, has walked just four, has held opponents to a .250 on-base percentage (the lowest of his short career) and has yet to allow any of his six inherited runners to score.

If the scenario presents itself again, it isn't a huge leap of faith to suggest the Red Sox will take their chances with Bard. And it will be hard to blame them.

The last Red Sox pitcher to walk off the mound Tuesday night was Albers, who first allowed a one-out single to Rajai Davis before allowing the speedster to steal second and third. The end result was Davis coming in on Cooper's sacrifice fly.

The takeaway isn't Albers' outing, but rather the image of what the Red Sox relievers have had to go through of late for various reasons. The group has thrown the third-most pitches and innings of any American League bullpen. Not ideal when trying to solidify late-inning confidence.

Still, Albers didn't do anything to diminish his stock, with Hill clearly continuing to raise his.

Offensive concerns are waning

The struggling Dustin Pedroia reached base four times (two singles, two walks).

Adrian Gonzalez hit two home runs and now has five in his last eight games.

David Ortiz had three more hits, marking the 11th time this season he has come away with a multiple-hit game (a milestone he didn't hit until June 11 last season).

Carl Crawford still has a hit in every game this month.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia showed why he came into the game with a .384 career batting average when putting the first pitch in play, tying the game in the eighth with a two-out, RBI single. His average (.208) is higher than at any point this season.

Maybe the consistently uneven nature of what ails the Red Sox should be the impetus for some panic. It would be nice to identify the chief problem and start the process of fixing it.

But the Red Sox can view their lot in life -- because of the season's relative youth -- with some sense of optimism. Sure, it's an option that could soon be out the window if some wins aren't soon uncovered. Yet, that moment isn't now.

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